Final Fantasy Seven:
by Sephirothmeteorholy
Summary: Cloud is attacked at his home by a squad of 4 soldiers and they all carry the logo of Shinra. What's the reason behind this attack, why the riots in midgar? why all the sudden flash backs? will Cloud join the resistance movement? find out in this sequel !
1. Chapter 1

**Final Fantasy Seven Test Story**

Chapter One: Dark memories.

The darkness surrounding them seemed endless and emotionally consuming; direction had no meaning in this eerie black filled nothingness. The two men stood gazing into each others eyes with an anger so magnificent it could tear through even the strongest of spirits. They both continued to glare like men possessed; each with a wild and destructive fiery glare that seemed to flail and flutter. They remained silent yet ready as if they seemed to be waiting for an eternity to pass before either of them made even the slightest twitch. The silence was like a blanket covering everything; yet it couldn't fall because the word floor didn't exist; at least not there and no floor meant no up nor down. In each of their hands they both gripped tightly two extremely different kinds of swords; they way they held onto their swords stated they weren't going to let go that easily; because of the way they held their weapons, the veins on their hands rose to the surface like thick green ropes, twisting and throbbing, like plants watched with time-lapse photography;

The taller of the two men held a finely crafted Masamune blade; its steel was so beautifully polished and shiny like a valuable mirror suggested, it was well taken care of. The length of the blade was astounding, jaw dropping and eye glaringly addictive. The end of the blade was expertly cut, crafted and shaped to a point of utter perfection; it could slice through just about anything, just like a knife cuts through butter. Every single detail on this sword had been taken into account. Just below the blade the hand guard performed a perfectly designed, three hundred and sixty degree circle; which again had been perfectly shaped and smoothened off to a point of being impeccably well crafted and smoothened off to a point of attaining pure perfection; even the design of the hand guard had the design of a silver dragon which blended in well. The handle was wrapped in a dreary black silk like material and on top of that, tiny little stitchings that seemed to endlessly create a symmetrical pattern all the way down to the bottom like snakes. Its third layer on the handle consisted of an extremely well rubber grip with perfect finger tight groves that allowed the fingers enough spacing to maintain a good grip without slipping. All in all, this was one of the greatest swords in the world.

The name of the man wielding the demon of a sword went by the name of Sephiroth. His ominous presence never went without question. His enormous size and build were something unnatural; when he spoke people listened, when he walked people moved when he stared people lowered their heads and when he asked for something he got it immediately without question and without doubt. This mans reputation and authority weren't greatly exaggerated. His skill and power accompanied his reputation which went worldwide. His silvery long hair swayed in the calm and gentle breeze like a paper bag caught in the wind with no sense of direction. The wind which levitated his hair seemed to pass from nowhere. Half of his pale face was cast in shadow and all that could be seen was his intensifying turquoise eyes set like stone on the other mans eyes; they were almost transfixed like some sort of spell had overcome him. He was covered from head to foot in black clothing except his frontal area was bear. All that showed was his muscular body. His toned abdominal area was perfection due to his previous intense military career. His muscular biceps were tensed as his gripped the sword tightly. His grin seamed to release toxins of evil which could entice any opponent.

His opponent who was stood directly opposite Sephiroth was a man named Cloud Strife. He wasn't as tall as Sephiroth but he certainly wasn't the person to be judged solely on his, size nor appearance. The thing that stood out the most about Cloud Strife was his hair; His pure blonde hair was styled in spikes which defied gravity so to speak. His usual ocean blue eyes were replaced by fiery embers of hatred and revenge. Cloud wore a sleeveless blue navy jumper made of fine wool, which had a silver zip going straight down the centre. On his right shoulder he wore a jet black shoulder pad; and nailed to the front of that was a peculiar wolf emblem which looked finely made complete with a silver polish finish. One of his blonde spikes came directly in front of his face but he could ignore it. His silver ear ring which looked smelted onto his right ear seemed to absorb tiny specs of light. In a sense, Cloud was the exact opposite to Sephiroth certainly appearance wise; but deep inside he had flames of anger and a mysterious past which he hoped to wrap up quickly and It was all going to end right now.

Finally, the silent statue that was Sephiroth raised an outstretched hand and made a mocking sign by bringing his four fingers together and motioning them back and fourth as a sort of insult towards Cloud. This triggered an internal click which sparked Clouds fuse as he ran at sephiroth in fast and furious assault every step he took echoed throughout the dark demonic nothingness. Time seemed to slow down as Cloud was charging at Sephiroth with his sword held high. His opponent glared and brought up an evil grin as his demise was closing on him fast. Clouds weapon looked as though it weighed the equivalent of four fully grown elephants. The blade was easily the size of two thick chunks of square metal. They usually called swords like this either a two handed or broad sword, but no, this was something else, this one was called "The buster sword". Its name was certainly fitting because of abominable size. It was made a lot less finely than the Masamune; I mean you really couldn't get much finer a sword than the Masamune. Instead of a finely polished steel blade; Clouds was covered with just about everything; ranging from blood, dirt, dents and scratches.

As Cloud was running, he prepared to swing his sword across cutting Sephiroth in two; at least, that was his next move which, he didn't have to think about, it was as though it just came to him. As he was mere seconds away from delivering that deadly blow, Sephiroth had up and vanished like a ghost can pass through walls. The force of Cloud sword almost knocked him over, but something stopped him from doing so. It was the sound he recognized, the sound of steel slicing through air at an alarming rate; in recognizing this sound Cloud ducked as fast as he could, sweeping the floor with his buster sword forcing the unsuspecting Sephiroth to jump over it. As he did Cloud took this opportunity to heave the buster sword over his shoulder and let the wait drop down on to Sephiroth. But Sephiroth heard this coming. He inched to the side midway in his aerial jump and parried the blow with the Masamune causing a loud denting sound. Sephiroth swung his powerful leg and slammed it into Cloud unsuspected face, like a hammer hitting a nail.

The impact of the blow simply knocked Clouds head to the side; it was as though he was reacting to the force rather than the actual pain. The embers in his eyes were almost on the verge of leaping out from his demented face and setting his setting his opponent into raging flames. Cloud quickly regained his balance and displayed a show of grace, as he flung his sword effortlessly as it cut through the still air, even though Cloud used but a single hand he still managed to reach Sephiroths Masamune. Cloud delivered and with much effort, blow after endless blow but it seemed to be doing little more than knocking Sephiroths Masamune. Sephiroths icy pale lips lifted to reveal yet another murky, evil, sadistic and torturing grin; his milky white teeth were kept impeccably clean as they seemed to reflect the flames in cloud eyes. "Just die you heartless bastard "

Sephiroth summoned a laugh so sinister; it was as though he'd dragged it up from the dark pits of an unearthly hell the likes of which you would never speak. After deflecting yet another blow from Cloud, Sephiroth levitated several meters off the floor like a bird would take flight and gradually glided away from cloud as though he was an angel.

Cloud had had enough of this and ran after Sephiroth like a demon had possessed him. The air whipped behind him forcing his golden spikes to blow back. Just as Cloud was about to lunge at Sephiroth with an almighty blow, He started to slowly disappear in a pure ray of a white and blinding light, which illuminated the darkness surrounding them and obscuring Clouds vision.

In replace of the ominous and lethal Sephiroth, knelt innocent women with a pure and caring face and a warm smile that shattered the billowing darkness. Her long brown hair coiled like twisted springs, which was tied together neatly by a beautifully made, pink silk bow. Her emerald green eyes sparkled and shone like the sun reflecting of a gentle green sea, which more than made up for the calm and soothing noise that often accompanied an ocean. Her icy white smile melted Clouds heart on the spot, distracting him from the harsh reality of his sword inches away from annihilating the goddess of beauty. Those of course were his thoughts of her. Her luscious pink dress wavered ever so slightly at the blow of the breeze. Her cherry colored jacket was open to allow easier movement in the arms.

"Let me handle Sephiroth". The womans voice was soothing and calm.

"And Cloud, you take care of yourself."

Just as Clouds sword was about to penetrate the soft silky skin of Aeris's face, everything went completely black.

Cloud awoke in a small dark room, the rain was lashing down on the windows like a thousand tiny pebbles being thrown; it was as if the rain itself seemed desperate to get in. The only traces of light were cast by the rhythmical lightning; it was like the thunder and lightning were a beat and the thunder was just out of sync. The lighting cast fierce shadows that were emphasized by the numerous objects lying around the room. A simply made wooden chair sat opposite a basic wooden table. The chair was just about ready for the scrap heap. Scattered clothes lay strewn on the laminate flooring and some thrown across the back of the chair. What little light there was, was quickly absorbed by the harsh and stone colored wallpaper; not your typical choice for a room. The silver colored blinds were being blown and slammed into the sides of the wall it covered, due to a small window being left open in the night, probably to let air circulate the room. A cracked mirror sat at an odd angle on the wall and beneath it, a protruding piece of wood which ran underneath the mirror nailed firmly in place. Random pieces of hair equipment and brushes occupied the wooden surface.

"Aeris!" Cloud shot up bolt right, streams of sweat trickled down his forehead like a waterfall, his hands seemed to shake ferociously as he tried to grip them and his breath was ragged and sharp as he tried to gather his senses. He threw the black covered blanket to the floor in a rage of anger, which was fueled by his memories that had obviously transformed into a nightmare. Flung his legs out onto the side of the bed swiftly and stood on the cold flooring. His buster sword lay slanted in the furthest corner of the room with the dreary metal gray reflecting particles of light. The dust parting the way for Cloud feet as he marched over towards his sword; each step resembled his anger growing. He stopped several inches from the sword and stared into an invisible oblivion; his black pupils were like dark pits of isolation. His face seemed completely unfazed for several seconds, that it until something inside him triggered a catastrophic explosion, yearning him to heave the buster sword over his shoulder and slam it down into the old wooden table; splinters went in every which direction and the table split into, not an entirely clean cut either. "Why did you have to come into my life you son of a bitch?"

Cloud wasn't thinking straight, his mind was filled with dark memories of Sephiroth torturing him inside. He went over to the mirror in a haste and swung the sword smashing it into tiny little pieces; the fragments of glass were like miniature crystals. Cloud was lucky they now littered the floor rather than his eyes. Parts of the wall started to crumble away knocking over the shelf and all its contents. Cloud eventually came to his senses and started to ease up on the destruction of his room. Cloud rammed his sword into the fragile boards of the laminate at looked around at what remained of his room. The floor boards cracked like the painful snapping of bones.

" Aeris" Cloud muttered. "Why did you have to depart us like that, was it all really worth it? Was it all really necessary? I should have been there to protect you, I should have been quicker … why wasn't I quicker!" Clouds voice began to rise ever so slightly. "Why didn't you ... Just stay in Midgar, at least you'd still be alive today" Cloud tilted his head back deep in thought trying to recall a memory.

"I'll go too. ...I have things that I want to find out." Aeris said in a soft tone.

"About the Ancients?" Cloud asked with an inquisitive voice.

"Many things …. "

Cloud snapped back to consciousness with a big kick. A tear managed to escape down his cheek sliding down like an icy cold raindrop. After the defeat of Sephiroth the previous year, the company Cloud kept seemed to drift apart and eventually lose contact. With the way things were, Cloud thought it best to start some sort of new life away from the hustle and bustle of city life and the people that inhabited those cities. After weeks of wandering and searching, he found the perfect little place, surrounded by a small forest. Of course, Cloud didn't have to pay for thing, after all he found it, and it had no owner and certainly no sign of anyone returning to it, besides it was a complete wreck so anyone with high standards probably wouldn't touch it. After weeks of redecorating, rebuilding and installing a suitable drainage and water system which really wasn't Clouds forte, he thought it a nice little place to settle down. It was a standard building complete with two bedrooms, one of which Cloud kept as a storage room. A bathroom, a kitchen and finally a living room.

Cloud walked over to the corner and placed his sword were it previously sat, in the corner. He opened the bedroom door with slow moaning creek and made for the staircase. He hadn't gotten round to laying down a carpet on the stairs just yet. "Gotta get a carpet down soon" Cloud added that to his to do list. As he reached the bottom he veered left into his kitchen, which he was very proud to have made all by himself, considering he's had no experience in building anything. The only thing that had kept him going all those seven long years ago, was a dream of joining the famous Soldier which was the armyof the mega corporate company named Shinra which tried to suck the life energy from the planet; luckily Cloud and his team had prevailed in stopping the evil company.

As he entered the kitchen he flicked on the switch and the room became engulfed in a bright light, which shone out into the darkness of the forest. The thought of a glass of icy cold water trickling down his throat which felt like an inferno seemed like a tempting idea, so he strode over to the fridge and pulled out his jug of water, which he had a habit of refilling everyday. "Glasses" Cloud scratched his head. "No glasses … great"

Cloud soon dismissed the thought of a glass and guzzled down the waterfall of drink, half of which spilt onto his bare chest. It really didn't bother him though, after all every morning at 5:00 am, he would have a bucket of the stuff thrown over him back in solider. This is how they dealt with the "lazy ones "surely enough Cloud was one of them. If there was anything Cloud hated, it was getting up early. He put his jug back in its place and headed over to a small table in the corner just to the side of the fridge. Cloud slowly pulled back the chair as it scraped the damp kitchen floor and slumped into heap. Sighing heavily, Cloud was lost in thought wondering what his friends were doing and if they're ok. Even though Cloud hated to admit it, he missed all the action, the thrills and the dangers, not knowing what was round the next corner, would he escape from whatever situation alive and all the cool people he'd met. But the thing he'd missed most all was his childhood friend Tifa; if he wanted to see anyone, it was Tifa. "Hmm tifa, why not, I could pay her a little visit, but what if she's married, she might have kids …. She might not even want to see me. The thought of mustering up enough courage to see tifa was hard indeed. His mind raced with all different kinds of thoughts, mostly consisting of "what ifs" He hadn't needed this much courage since the time when he told Tifa he was leaving to join solider 7 years ago. Cloud shuddered involuntarily "I'll never forget that night …"

Cloud had no idea were Tifa lived, but he had a rough of idea where she might be.

"Better start packing then" Cloud uttered to himself. He pushed back on the chair and stood up performing a stretch so high it was as though he was reaching for something. He left the kitchen area and headed for the comfort of his living room, nothing special, just your basic television which sat behind a large window, opposite that a grey colored couch lay cozily on the diamond blue carpet, which had dirty prints in several places. Cloud stepped over to were an old looking duffel bag was draped over the back of the couch.

Cloud grasped the old bag with one hand "Guess this will do "

As Cloud was about to leave the living room, the lights in the house suddenly gave way; it was as though a black curtain of dark had just completed covered everywhere.

"Ugh …. What now" Cloud was displeased with this minor inconvenience"

Cloud ignored this for now as he had other business to attend to. "Another thing to add to the list" Cloud hoped it was but a small power cut; but other forces were at work, forces which Cloud was completely oblivious to. He marched up the stairs half in a mood with himself and half just wanting to get out of the dump he called a house. In the cavernous shadows of his room he tried desperately to find his top. "Bingo" Cloud slid on jumper like a snake slowly but smoothly slithering into a hole. From outside, a human shadow was cast as it bounced silently through the dreary darkness of Cloud room. His ocean eyes caught sight of this and thought it odd. He thought he was being paranoid, but just to satisfy himself he walked over to the window and slyly pressed down on the blinds revealing a small gap of which he looked out of. His eyes widened in amazement and disbelief both of the feelings trying to be the victor in which cloud should think.

What were probably two males stood pressed against the sides of the house, one at either side of the back door. Before Cloud could accept this, another two appeared as if out of nowhere and trained their clunky metallic grey weapons at the door. The rain outside seemed to blank out there faces. The half eaten moon was there only source of light, as its radiant pale light shone mysteriously around them. From upstairs Cloud remembered from his basic training at soldier, that if the weapons those people down below were using got soaked through, the chance of said weapon firing changed to 78.2; not of much use but it was better than nothing he figured.

The person to the left raised his hand and flicked his two fingers forward towards the back door; the other solider to his right acknowledged this and removed something shiny from his pocket as it glimmered happily in the pale moon. "My back door …. Bastards"

One of the people dressed in black started to insert the object into Clouds door. The clicking noise it made would have woken up half a block, that is, if Cloud lived anywhere near a populated area; he'd started to wish he had. Clouds blood started to pump hastily like garden hose, shortly followed by his adrenaline rush. "Didn't think I'd need to use you again old friend; what am I doing talking to a sword, perhaps I am going crazy"

Cloud heaved his sword onto his back and began making his way to the bathroom.

Knocking all kinds of bottles and toothbrushes out of the way Cloud managed to open up the sliding bathroom window; wind and rain began pouring in slapping into his face causing him to blink repeatedly. He used the toilet as a footing for one leg and used the sink for his other, eventually grabbing hold of the rough wet brickwork outside. Just above the window a sloping roof protruded; drops of water fell from it as though committing suicide. Cloud took the buster sword from his back and managed to get the oversized thing out the window and onto the roof, without it slipping. He turned around so that his back was facing the cold harsh lashing rain and slowly eased him self out. With his head he assessed his situation and with two hands, grabbed onto the sloping roof and pushed out further. Now in a position to get out of the warmth of his house, reluctantly, he hung outside, his body temperature swiftly lowering and wrapped his legs up to the side swiftly, so that his hold body was now on an angle, and from there just edged his way up.

Down below the soldiers were signaling each other to let them know that it was time to move out. One by one they slowly yet cautiously stepped inside trying to cause as little noise as possible. There muddy boots squelched on the floor causing a sickly squelching sound that echoed throughout the cavernous house. Their shadows were like dance partners as they moved gracefully whenever a soldier swiftly turned. The kitchen was the first place they came across; remnants of someone drinking here were shown. "Clear "

A male voice whispered as best he could. The four men kept there wits about them as they trained there weapons on just about everything, even the slightest thing that moved. As like before two of them waited and two scouted ahead. The living room was desolate and the air was full of stray dust which was illuminated by the faint streams of moonlight. "Clear"

The two from the kitchen moved out cover the back. As they made there way up the stairs, two faced upwards the other two slowly walked behind them backwards, to prevent an unsuspecting assault from behind. As they reached the top of the stairs the noticed they bedroom door open ever so slightly. The leading man took out a moldy green colored grenade, with what looked like squares off a chocolate bar glued to the sides. He went on to raise his hand with only three fingers up, then two and when it got to one, he rolled the grenade in, and surely enough a deafening explosion soon followed. "Move, move, move." The four of them burst in like wild animals scanning what remained of the bedroom. The table what was in half now laid in pieces with splinters covering everywhere like a miniature wood. The impact of the blast sent shards of glass everywhere; the men's leather boots crunched as they checked the wreckage.

With the window what Cloud had opened and the window that now lay in scattered pieces, it started to cause a back draft slowly opening and closing the bathroom door. This obviously caught the attention of one of the men. "Hmmm?" In curiosity he examined the source of the noise. He slowly walked like a silent shadow towards the bathroom each step as cautious as the next. His mind quickly assessed what must have happened, that his target must have escaped out of the bathroom window in a hurry. The man leant against the sink and stuck his head out the window, his eyes wandering into the lonely forest, its trees wavering with the direction of the wind. Just as the man was in the process of shouting to his comrades, two savage greedy arms lunged out at his collar dragging him head first out the bathroom window. Cloud dangled the man with one arm over the roof of his house ripping of the soldiers mask with his other hand and stared into his intense sea green eyes, as though captivated. "Those eyes … "

Cloud spaced out, however, still subconsciously holding the intruder.

"That glow in your eyes... you're from SOLDIER, right?"

"Yeah. Rather I used to be."

"... I don't know how to say this, but, would you please leave here, tonight?" Without telling Aeris."

Cloud quickly threw the thought to the back of his mind, because something else caught his eye. On the shoulder of the mans arm was a familiar logo; a kite outlined with white lines and a strawberry red background complete with the words …….. Shinra cooperation written across it. Cloud's face went blank but expressed signs of shock, disbelief, severe confusion complete with anger. The man he was holding slowly reached for his belt, where a knife laid dangerously. That side weapon used to be a standard issue back in soldier and if you lost it there was no replacement, you would usually have to buy your own or in the most extreme of cases, steal someone else's. Cloud felt the searing pain of jagged cold steel tear across his arm, revealing spurts of blood like a spilt bottle of the finest red wine. With his new found wound, cloud's arm contracted vigorously, dropping the soldier to the ground. The intruder whipped out a rectangular black radio which he slammed to his ear. "He's on the roof; he's on the roof, get up there now" The mans voiced echoed throughout the whispering forest.

Clouds facial features frowned. "Not good."

The men who still resided in the house, heard his plea for help and clambered out of the room like a heard of hungry cattle. The intruder that had fallen to the ground aimed his weapon roughly in Clouds direction and squeezed gently on the trigger, as gently as you would take care of a new born child. Sharp shimmering objects that glistened in the hanging portrait that was the moon, flung themselves near Cloud, their piecing edges chipping the tiles of roof sending shards everywhere. "Can this day get any worse?" Cloud asked himself.

Clouds question was soon answered by the spray of bullets that tore through the roof of his house. He tried as best he could to swerve and maneuver out of the way slowly, as to avoid slipping after all, the rain continued to crash down making feet vulnerable to slipping. "Forget this ... "

Cloud took a running jump and leapt gracefully, like a soaring eagle passes elegantly through the air, along with his sword which he had poised and ready to cut his opponent into two messy chunks. The fierce wind followed behind the stainless steel blade as it fell hard on the soldier's vulnerable chest, causing a deep laceration; warm heat and a sickly colored blood pulsated from the injury resulting in the intruder to collapse on the on spot; splashes of a murky brown mud splashed over him like a sea of filth. "Maybe I can lose these goons in the forest, ok Cloud stop talking to you and mosey!"

As Cloud entered the lonely, silent and isolated forest, the leafless branches seemed to lunge out at him trying to bar his path. His foot steps in the squelching dirt covered his boots, the rustling of the leaves sounded throughout like a violent echo. The grey lifeless drops of rain seemed to be attracted to Clouds face like a magnet as he ran deeper into the eerie wood. The bright rays of the silvery moon gradually lessened as he ran. His heart beat elevated and his lungs pulsated like a child blowing in and out of a thin paper bag.

Not far behind him, the intruders ran in hot pursuit sending waves of anger and frustration around them. They open fired into the forest not being able to see a thing, just holding onto a hope they could incapacitate the pray. Bullets impacted into the old trees; it was as though when hit the bark snapping off sent cries that resounded throughout. As they ran they had to shield there eyes as it started to become somewhat of a nuisance. As Cloud looked back in curiosity, he could see in the distance fiery flames that the bullets created and the echoing sounds that accompanied them. Instead of just going straight, Cloud veered of left hoping he wouldn't run into his pursuers. He just kept going left until he came to some sort of opening. In the distance he could here faint sounds of motorized vehicles, by the sounds of it cars. "I thought I moved out here for some peace and quiet … so much for that, and what's with that Shinra logo and why'd they come looking for me. Ugh... That can wait till later my first priority is finding Tifa"

Clouds heartbeat gradually returned to normal, as he could see the opening just a few meters in front of him. It wasn't exactly an opening fit for him to squeeze through, but his sword would make short work of it. He hacked and slashed away cutting all lose ends, branches, thorn bushes and logs; it did however leave a mess on the floor, but no one would notice. He ripped any remaining branches out the way and stepped out onto the verge of immaculately kept grass that blow freely yet still remained attached to the ground. The only thing Cloud could see was never ending blackness of the out stretched road ahead. Bushes sat waiting at either side of it and a thick mist began to slowly settle over the area like a leaf fluttering silently down to the ground. "This just really isn't my day……. "


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: friend or foe?

The thick blanket that was the mist, continued to grow as Cloud walked further and further. The drizzly rain continued, persistent as ever, along with an icy wind that seemed to bite him as he walked. The golden crispy leaves that lay dead along floor would suddenly spring to life as a car sped past. The wind seemed to howl down the dark desolate road causing cloud to involuntarily shudder. His skin was covered in the hard scales that were his goose pimples. As he walked his damp boots squelched with every step, as they had become a lake of icy water. His golden spikes seemed ill as they drooped down covering Clouds face, like the leaves of a willow tree. Every so often, he would shoot out a sneeze due to the temperature declining reluctantly. "Why were those guys wearing the Shinra logo? I thought we finished them. Who sent them and why, ugh some many questions and so few answers"

Every so often, Cloud tried to thumb a lift, but to no avail; a car was on the verge of stopping but caught a glimpse of the weapon he held, not a comforting thought to lone drivers out at this our, Cloud couldn't really blame them. After what seemed an eternity someone finally pulled over, despite the weather, despite the time and despite Clouds humongous sword. From what he could tell, it was a small pickup truck, nearly on its way out by the sounds of the battered engine; some of the noises it spat and sang were truly baffling. Cloud turned his attention to the back, were you would usually store large objects. His eyes fixed on the back as though he could see a dead body or something.

"That settles it, I'm gonna become a mercenary. I'll do Boring stuff, dangerous stuff, anything for good money. I'm gonna be rich! So, Cloud? What are YOU gonna do? Just kidding... I won't leave you hanging like that. After all, were friends … Aren't we?"

"Hey kid, you alright, hey snap out of it will ya?" A short, stout man with deep wooden eyes was staring straight at cloud.

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking about something. Listen I really appreciate you stopping like this, considering the weather and all."

"No problem, as long as your not planning to steal my ride, hop in. Oh don't worry about your sword it won't go anywhere, just shove it in the back. There's a plastic sheet you can cover it with, don't want it rusting now do we?"

Cloud walked to the side of the truck and lifted his sword gently; even so it still made the sound of hard steel crashing against the fragile tin of the van. He took the mans advice and pulled the plastic blue sheet over his sword; it now lay sleepily, covered with a sea of blue. After doing so, he put one hand on the metallic wet door and eased himself into the truck closing the frosty night air behind him.

"So, where you heading kid?"

"Midgar, if it's not too much trouble."

The golden air from the warmth of the heaters was overpowering Clouds will to stay awake; the vibrations from the engine creating a lullaby weren't exactly helping either. He let out a groaning yawn that sounded like some sort of farm animal.

"Midgar hmm? You wouldn't be working for Shinra now would ya? His voice turned slightly pushy.

Cloud looked blank and for a moment, couldn't think of a reply. "What do you mean am I working for Shinra? We … they went out of business a long time ago, you remember the incident right?"

"What, have you been living under a rock or something kid?" Clouds look of confusion increased. "Alright I'll fill you in. A couple of years back when the Shinra building was completely wrecked, I mean beyond a quick new coat of paint, everyone was a whole lot happier. No taxes, no oppression, none of those shady Turks going around causing trouble, nothing! Anyway about five months later, posters starting to go up informing people about the reconstruction of the Shinra building. Shortly after, people began to protest and debate the issue, but they Shinra paid no attention; when did they ever? This went on for almost a year. Eventually, the Shinra building got back and track but unfortunately so did the reactors. Cloud jumped in sharp.

"The reactors!"

"Yes, the reactors. Anyway, this outrage caused a large population of Midgar to riot and because of this, Shinra have put Midgar on high alert, locking the people inside like an animals cage."

"What …" Clouds voice raised slightly in anger.

"Yeah, it's getting outta control, that's what a bunch of us decided not to give in so easily to Shinras dominance. Clouds head slowly turned around to face him. "So you guys are what … rebels?"

"Rebels is such an ugly word … I prefer the term dedicated citizens" They both smiled with broad grins. "So, didn't catch your name"

"Cloud, Cloud strife. And you?"

"You can call me Larius. Nice to meet ya kid, I mean Cloud. Well if you're planning to get into Midgar you better stick with me. You see we stumbled upon an old manhole cover which leads into a sewer; from there it's a decent walk underground and you don't have to worry about getting lost, we've got the place mapped out."

"So how long is Shinra planning to keep Midgar under high alert?"

"Hell if I know, we've been using the tunnel to sneak in and out bringing in weapons, food anything we need really."

"You got any military experience Cloud? Just thought I'd ask, what with the sword and all."

" ….. You could say that"

"We could use an extra pair of hands you know Cloud. I mean you don't look the type to join any part of Shinra" Cloud couldn't help feel somewhat guilty to that remark, considering joining solider was his dream."

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."

"Shame, we could sure use the extra help, course I'll still take you into Midgar I wasn't blackmailing or anything."

Suddenly a loud back emitted from the front of the van. It sounded like a bullet leaving from a gun. "Frigging piece of junk, it's being waiting to conk out on me for awhile, perfecting timing eh?"

Cloud could see the faint signs of a restaurant which sat half in the darkness of the gray mist and the shadows of the night. The van came to a slow, steady halt as Larius pulled into a small bay and snatched up the handbrake. "Well this baby aint going nowhere for a while."

"I think that's some sort of restaurant up ahead, look" Cloud pointed in the general direction of glaring neon lights; its name flaring like a flag.

"Maybe we should rest up awhile ya know, until the rain stops."

"Yeah … good idea" Replied Cloud. They both opened the side doors and stepped out once again into the rain. "Hang on a minute"

"Why were ya going?"

Cloud walked over to the back of the truck and fished out his sword. "This, never go anywhere without it."

"It's a restaurant, we're not braking into fort friggin nox" Cloud shrugged. They both slowly jogged towards their destination kicking up splashes of dirt and water as they went. "Hmmm it's a pub not a restaurant, fancy joining me with a few drinks?"

"You forget Larius, you're the designated driver and I'm not paying your fine"

"You make a good point, well whatever; at least we can stay warm."

They reached the old pub; silky colored candles sat neatly in a shiny holder; the liquefied wax slid down gracefully due to the intense burning heat of the glowing flame, which flickered and spat out different colors of golden yellow. The light could be seen out of the frosted windows. Larius opened the door, only to be greeted with warmth of a crispy fire, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. People sat in all different corners of the room chatting away drinking their beverages, which varied from whiskies, pints and mixed. The voices carried all around the room, intertwining with one another to make a swirling ball of noise that made no sense. Opposite the door sat the bar with shiny brass poles that stuck up into the roof. Wooden stools stuck into the floor, some of them occupied by people wanting to be served. As they stepped through the doorway, all eyes shot towards them along with awkward silence that fell soon after.

Everyones attention turned to Cloud, or rather, his over sized weapon, which he carried over his back holding it firm with one clenched hand. "What are these staring at?" Though Larius. Cloud went ahead scouting for a spare table, his boots tapping on the old wooden floor that echoed, due to the annoying silence that filled the still warm air. Cloud eyes spotted an empty table right at the back of the room, which was the most dimly lit area and the most poorly kept. He motioned Larius to come, who was still mentally cursing just about everyone in the room for staring. Larius gave the most indiscrete of nods to acknowledge that. After Cloud went out of sight, mostly, the chatter resumed to its normal state. He pulled out a chair and laid his sword up against the corner. Larius came marching over, slightly angry that everyone was staring.

"What's up Larius?" Cloud asked. "Yeah_ right, as if I don't know, you're probably still ticked because everyone was staring at you right?_

"What the hell were they staring at?"

"_Bingo"_

"I'm not sure … they probably have nothing better to do.

"_Geez just give it up, man this guy sure does whine a lot."_

"Anyway, while we're here, I'll run through the plan again. Now I didn't expect the old van to break down on us like that, so here's what we're gonna do. In about ….. "Larius removed his sleeve. " Two hours …"

"_What the hell!"_

Clouds eyes looked sharp for a moment. "Hey … Larius can I ... see your arm for a sec?"

Larius looked slightly bewildered "Well … sure"

As he did so Clouds eyes focused in closer. A black tattoo appeared with the roman numerals "V" on.

"Where did you get that tattoo Larius?"

"Just a minute Cloud I'm just gonna get a drink, what do you want?"

"Water, but I'd really like to know …" Cloud was again cut off.

"Alright then, be back in a minute."

"_Why does he have that tattoo? Does this have something to do with Shinra? Did Hojo survive? Grrr so many questions"_

Larius walked over to the bar and placed himself on one of the stools. "So, you working over time baby?" Said a cocky man, who was sitting just next to Larius.

"Yeah, but you get used to it after awhile, besides it's worth it ... extra cash ya know?" The blonde replied.

"So hows about you and me go out on a date eh?"

"No can do, I already have a boyfriend" The blonde winked at the man sat opposite the bar and carried on wiping the beer soaked wood. The man span around to face Larius, his flaming red hair shortly followed. "She's pretty fine, don't you think so?"

"_What do I care, I have a wife you stupid asshole"_

"Yeah, she sure is."

"Excuse me love, can I get a beer and a glass of water?" asked Larius

"Yeah I'll bring it over in a sec, you can go sit down."

"Thanks"

Larius walked over back to where Cloud was sitting and pulled up a chair.

"Hey, so what was it you wanted Cloud?"

"Your arm, I wanna see your arm."

"Which one?"

"The left, the one with your watch on"

"Hey, don't even try to steal this baby; it's worth a lot of money?"

"Why's that then, how much was it?"

"Nothing, I found it, you can find just about anything on the floor nowadays"

Larius rolled back his sleeve. "There, that tattoo, where did you get it?" Clouds voice rose a little with anxiety.

"What this? Well it's a long story."

Clouds fears were almost confirmed.

"After the war, you remember the war right. Well anyway, there was a bunch of us who volunteered; we thought we were something special, invincible. There was Kilo one of the best snipers in the business, Samantha our best in recon and data analysis, Jeremy, amazing at close range combat, barns he could drive just about any vehicle given and finally Larius, that's me of course I was great at planting explosives, making them even!

So after the war ended, we went out celebrating, as you do after going through something like that, touring through nearly every pub in Midgar, kalm and even Cosmo. Well when we got back to Midgar, completely out of it, I mean seriously drunk, we could barely crawl let alone walk, we stumbled upon a tattoo parlor, in one of the slums, I can't even remember which one. So in out drunken and deluded state, we all agreed to get a tattoo so as to never forget each other. So we were all arguing on what to go for, and then it hit me, we'd gone in as five and we'd survived as five. And I'm sure you can figure out the rest.

"Clouds face sank in relief"

"_Jeez, give me a heart attack why don't you?"_

"Anyway Cloud let's go over the plan. Now as you know I didn't expect that van to commit suicide, so that's delayed things. I figure if we take a bus to the edge of Midgar, we should be able to sneak around the perimeter until we come to our "Secret entrance"

Cloud raised one eye brow to that comment. "Secret?"

"Yeah secret, it's a manhole cover, I know not the most pleasant of entrances but we've been using it for a while now ... and it's served us pretty well. Anyway from there, there'll be a guy waiting for us, and he'll lead us through the tunnel; don't worry I've known him for years, he won't let us down.

"Sure_ hope not."_

"Ya with me so far?"

"Yeah"

"Good, once we've made it into Midgar, it'll bring us out opposite an old church and upstairs is were our base of operations is.

"Hey are the flowers still growing! You better not of ruined the flowers!"

"I didn't know you were so fruity Cloud, hehe"

"I'm serious, now are they still growing!"

"Yeah, they're fine, Samantha tends to em everyday, it's like a religion or something"

"Samantha? Isn't that her from –"

"Yeah from my story she's one of us."

"And I'm guessing your group consists of –"

"Right again, five members"

"It could be six ya know, hint, hint Cloud" Cloud smiled.

"No thanks Larius, I'd like to help you out, but I'm looking for an old friend of mine"

"Can't blame me for trying, we need all the help we can get ya know?"

"Here ya go guys, one water … and one beer"

"Thanks, what does that come to?" replied Larius

"That'll be four Gill please."

Larius stood up and fished a wallet out of his jeans pocket, which was completely covered in a sickly oil substance. He pulled out a green note and handed it to the barmaid. "Here's five, keep the change."

"Thanks a lot, appreciate it."

_"Sephiroth! I know you're listening! I know what you want to say!"_

_"That I wasn't in Nibelheim five years ago."_

_"That's it, isn't it?"_

_"I see you finally understand."_

_"What you are trying to say is that you want to confuse me,_

_right?"_

_"But... even making me see those things won't affect me."_

_"I remember it all. The heat of the fire... the pain in my_

_Body... and in my heart!"_

"Hey Cloud, you're spacing out again, hey, hey!"

"Ugh, sorry Larius I just need to use the bathroom."

"You sure you're feeling ok?"

Yeah, I'll be back … in a sec"

Cloud got up and walked past the bar heading towards the bathroom. A faint smell of Urine resonated from the toilet, not enough to make one leave however. His footsteps clapped loudly on the cold stone floor as he made his way towards the nearest chipped sink. Cloud sighed. _"What's with all these memories, it's weird … I'm not even thinking about them, they're just appearing to me. Something's definitely going on; if this has something to do with Shinra … I won't be so forgiving! Huh … did I say that?"_

Something triggered anger in Clouds inner self, causing him to punch a glass mirror, half covered in dust, now laying in pieces. He twisted the tap waiting for the refreshing flow of cooling water to absorb him. Clouds frantic hands seemed to dive into the gushing tap, which was releasing the water and douse him with the silvery water.

Just then, the man who was sitting next to Larius at the bar walked in. His fiery red ponytail flailing at even the slightest of movements. He wore a black suit, complete with a pure white shirt and black tie. This tidiness of his suit was distracted by the upper part. His tie was completely let to hang loose, and the collar remained open, along with the jacket. His scar on the left cheek indicated he'd been in one or two fights. "Jeez, this place stinks, smells like some guys aims are a little off"

"Holy shit, Cloud, how's it going man? … No hard feelings I hope, after all I don't work for Shinra anymore." Cloud remained silent; the crystal water drops leaking from his face. Reno moved slightly closer. "What's up, fall out with mirror?" Reno chuckled.

Cloud turned his head slowly towards him. _"Damn, what's with his eyes?"_

Cloud threw an arm around Reno's throat, cutting off any oxygen from getting down. He raised Reno in the air with ease._" That's right, do it, he doesn't deserve to live, think about what he did to you and your friends …kill him, kill him, kill him, kill ... SHUT UP!"_

"Clo …Cloud … let go man … can't breathe … you're making it very … difficult for a guy to live … ya know."

The urge to kill was overwhelming, never had he experienced such hate, even against his mortal enemy, Sephiroth. Cloud literally had to force himself from taking a life right there on the spot. His slowly released his firm grip of the mans neck, causing him to slump to the ground like an airless sack. "Sorry Reno, I don't know what came over me, it was like a turned into a different person, but this doesn't change anything between us, I'll still never forgive you."

"Yeah, I can see that." Reno slowly got up and brushed off the random pieces of dirt that covered parts of his suit.

"So what ya doing all the way out here?" Asked Reno.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"_I better not mention that the Shinra are back in business, its better if he keeps away from them."_

"I've got Rude with me, fancy a drink?"

"…_great …"_

"No I wouldn't be caught dead with you two, besides that I'm here with someone already." Reno rubbed his head all the way to the back.

"It wouldn't be …. Err... Tifa by any chance … would it?"

"No, and don't you be getting any ideas."

"Oh well, had to check." Reno winked at Cloud.

Cloud turned around and headed for the door. "Were are ya going"

"Away from you …. " With that Cloud opened the wooden door and headed back to his seat with Larius.

"_Hehe, I guess he's still touchy ... Oh well whatever … I need a drink."_

Meanwhile Cloud was now sitting back in his seat next to Larius.

"You ok now Cloud?" He looked up at Larius.

"Yeah … fine now."

"Good, well hurry up and finish that water, coz we need to start making tracks."

"Yeah alright."

Cloud picked up his glass of water and chucked it down the back of his throat, almost as if he'd eaten something rotten. Again, Larius glanced down at his watch, "Yep, time to get moving." He slammed the glass down on the wooden table and stood up. "Let's go."

"_Finally"_

"Yeah, let's.

Meanwhile, Reno had taken his place next to a tall man. The baldness of his head reflected the dimly lit light of the pub; his rough face remained unfazed, his eyes were no doubt the same, even though they were completely covered by mass of black which where his sunglasses. On his right ear sat a golden earring absorbing what little light the room gave off. His size was strangely intimidating due to the fact that, even though they both remained sitting, the man somehow managed to tower over Reno. He held in one hand, a still glass of a dark substance, most likely alcohol. On the table in front of him a large newspaper whispered gently as the wind ruffled its thin sheets. He wore and with great admiration for it, the same suit as Reno. His shoes were polished so finely he could see his own reflection. The tie was immaculate and shuffled dead centre, nothing was out of place. Even the hairs on his mustache were trimmed to perfection; considering the only place hair grew now was on his face. Every now and then, he would take time from starting blankly at the paper and sip at his drink.

"Still searching for those job offers Rude?" Rude nodded in agreement.

"_We'll be lucky if we get anything the way things are looking …" thought Rude._

Rude isn't the type of person to say much, he likes to keep himself to himself; the only time he really speaks is when it is necessary. To look at him, you'd probably suspect he'd be a door bouncer. But no, along with Reno, he was part of Shinra's elite mercenary force. Only a handful made it into the Turks, hell only a handful made it into Solider.

"Any luck yet?" Rude shook his head slowly. After seeing Rudes response, Reno just dropped his head purposely on the table making a loud thud. "Rude, we're not getting anywhere like this … we need money, cashola, mula, dinero anything green. " Reno, just relax, we'll find something …"

Reno just stared at Rude and banged his head again "Thud" Rude shook his head.

"Ughhh I need another drink"

"…_At this rate you'll be crawling outta here."_

All of a sudden, Reno's mobile phone cried out with a ring, which repeated its self several times before he actually answered it. "Yeah? …. WHAT? … How? Why? And when's this gonna happen …… ahuh … what all of them? …. Yeah we can start right away ….. Thanks... President."

"_Looks like we won't need a new job after all."_

"Rude … the president … he rang … Cloud ... he was here ... And – "

"Reno … I told you to relax, now start over." Reno sighed, preparing for an explanation.

"We got our jobs back, Cloud and his friends are as good as dead, we find them and bring em to Rufus, and Cloud was just here now go get him!"

Rude stood up casting a large shadow caused by the flames of the candles. His big build knocked over a chair as he rushed towards the door; peoples eyes glued to his actions until he was completely out of view. The cold night air wrapped around him like a snake and bit him. The rain still continued to pour down and the mist lay as thick as ever. _"Can't see a thing …"_

"Hey, you haven't paid for your drinks yet" The bar made shouted.

Reno was hastily rushing through his pockets, trying to find some spare gill. "Damn"

He wasn't happy about parting with 10 gill note, besides he didn't have time to wait around for the change. "Grrr keep the change I'm in a hurry."

"But ….-" Before she could even reply, Reno had already ran out after Rude, feeling the same cold, bitterly wind he had. _"…Rude, where the hell's he gone too now. I can't believe Rufus is taking things this far, if he carries this out … he's gonna have a damn revolution on his hands …."_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three: some people never change

Cloud and Larius had far gone into the distant fog and with no light to aid them; the only sources of light were Clouds sea green eyes glowing intensely. The green plant life and soggy grass seemed never ending on either sides of the road. Again, the rain didn't let up; neither did the fog for that matter. The heavy silence that covered the air was sometimes interrupted, by the low humming sound of vehicles passing; their rubbery tires spitting up water along the way. They both walked slowly along the road, soaked to the bone, literally. The chattering of teeth soon kicked in, followed by the unfriendly noise of the sneeze. _ "Jeez, it's freezing out here, should have brought a coat or something."_

The trees swayed vigorously and restlessly in the chilling wind, which Larius thought rather creepy. The atmospheres grip, sent chills of anxiety and wonder up their tingling spines. The pale dusty moon hung over their heads ever watchful seeing every move they made. "I use these roads a lot, and I think… there's a bus stop just ahead of us, not far now."

Cloud was deep in thought, wondering about what had happened so far and where all this was going. Shinra, Soldier and two former Turks. Cloud couldn't help but wonder that something strange was going on. The road started to incline slightly, forcing their muscles to work harder.

Meanwhile, Reno had checked just about everywhere there was to check: Car park, back entrance, front entrance, nearby hedges and small pathway. Reno accidentally stood in small hole that unfortunately was full to the brim with murky, brown water. "Oh for bastard's sake ... "

Reno began to pace up and down the rocky stoned path. "Where_ the hell is he?"_

Rude wasn't far from the pub, he walked casually down the desolate lonely road looking for a vehicle out the publics eye. The moons set glow, beamed down on Rudes shiny polished shoes reflecting a blurred image of him. After about three minutes he stumbled upon an old red car which lay silently parked; the rain dropped onto the thin tin and made resounding dings that made it sound as if it was inflicting great damage. On the rocky road, sat a hole built into the curb, that let the water trickle down into the near by drains. Drip, drip, drip; the sound echoed deep into the ground splashing neatly into the water below. Rude stepped closer towards the abandoned car, and peered into the driver's side window, which was half frosted from the constant dropping of temperature. His face, which was half covered in darkness loomed in closer; there was nothing much to see. On the back seat lay several maps, pens, plastic cups and pieces of clothing strewn about. Now usually, members of the Turks would often carry about with them, a lock picking set, but Turks had long disbanded after the disaster.

Rude turned his head slowly from left, to right just to make sure the area was completely clear. He swiftly jilted his elbow into the centre of the window, smashing it into tiny crystals of a light greenly blue which sparkled and danced in the moon light. Luckily, no alarm had been added to this older model. He swiftly flung his arm through the gaping hole and pulled up the lock, which in turn opened the car door. He slowly brushed of the broken squares of glass, sat in and slammed the door shut; the noise seemed to awaken the landscape around with an echoing slam. Rude stared just below the steering wheel and ripped of a black box, revealing multicolored wires. Leaning over, Rude tore so many of them, and intertwining them with others, causing the engine to growl to life like a sleeping tiger. Rude slammed down the accelerator and sped of into the black curtain which was the night. The dazzling headlights seemed to part the curtain of darkness, as it beamed down the wet and lonely road. Trees whooshed by in a blur of lush green, which was absorbed by the thick black night and the white entrancing fog. A hail of rain swept across the windscreen in a useless attempt, as it was quickly dispersed by the rubber windscreen wipers.

Reno turned his attention to the upcoming beams of the headlights that illuminated were he stood. The car seemed to show no signs of stopping as it became infinitely closer.

"Is this nutter gonna stop or what?"

The car came ever closer, its headlights glaring, dazzling Reno. He started to step back wondering if the guy in the car was gonna hit the brakes. The car screeched out almost in pain, its rubbery tires trying as hard as they could to grip the watery floor. The cries could be hear from all around as they echoed. It stopped dead in front of Reno making him jump back in shock. After regaining thought he began to shout at the car, not realizing it was Rude inside it.

"You moron, get out that car now because I'm gonna kick your ass."

The window wound down and a bald headed man emerged from inside. "Rude did you find him? Wait a minute where did you get this? Is it yours?

"I … found it." Rude shifted his glassed down ever so slightly and grinned."

"You thieving git." Reno said sarcastically, with much emphasis added to "thieving"

"Get in" Barked Rude.

"Don't have to ask me twice."

Reno jogged round to the passenger side and slid in. "Drive, let's find Cloud."

Meanwhile Cloud and Larius had stumbled upon a bus shelter that was falling apart. The grey tin roof had a gaping hole; the plastic insides were covered with graffiti of different kinds; ranging from, "Midgar rulez" to "Down with Shinra".

The seats looked as thought they had literally been pulled of with great force, resulting in them both having to stand. The rain dripped down elegantly through hole in the roof, dropping onto Clouds golden hair. He ignored it and stepped to the side. "How long till the bus gets here? It's freezing."

"No idea" Replied Cloud. "There's a time table over there, but it's hard to make out ... half of it's torn. I think … we have to wait about 5 minutes but I can't be sure, it could be fifteen."

Larius combed through his wet black hair; it was neatly combed, fairly long but not shoulder length. "Great … "He began to pace up and down muttering complaints under his breath.

"Hey Larius, are you sure this plan of yours is going to work?"

"Yeah quit worrying, I've done it dozens of times, it's no problem really."

"Alright." Cloud leant against the pole that held up the sign, looking far into the deepening black; the mist remained ever thick. A large object was in motion in the distance, barely visible due to the thick fog. It came ever closer with its lights on full beam; the engine grumbled as it came closer; the gravel on the road crunched as the wheels ran over. "Looks like this is it." Said Cloud.

"Hallelujah" replied Larius.

The bus pulled up along side of the bus stop. Its doors opened with a loud hissing sound.

Larius stepped on board first followed by Cloud. The drivers brown eyes glared at them both as they climbed on board; Black bags sagged under his sleep deprived eyes as he glared. He yawned as he spoke. "Wow. Didn't expect to be picking anyone up this late, especially with the weather. So, were to?"

"Midgar" replied Larius.

"Midgar?" the diver looked confused "I wouldn't be heading there if I were you haven't you heard the – "

"Yeah, we've heard the riots, but they don't bother us."

"Hehe, it's your heads."

Larius pulled out his wallet for the second time today; out of it he pulled three golden coins out and dropped them into the metallic silver tray; they landed with a clatter. The inside of the bus was completely deserted, it seemed nobody used the buses at this time of night, and if they did, it was usually business men who'd had to stay behind at he office to finish of paper work, or just people coming back from parties. The glass windows inside were in need of a clean; the children had been able to write their names on the windows due to the thick layer of dust that covered them. The seats were no better; tears and discarded chewing gum were accounted for on almost every seat, apart from the odd one or two. The bus itself was a large double-decker; its seating capacity was around seventy. Cloud and Larius headed for the back of the bus and collapsed into their seats.

"Ahhh finally." Larius blurted. His arms now apart and resting on the header of their seat.

Cloud was sat opposite Larius, staring out of the window. The vehicles engine started up with a roar and jutted of down the desolate road. "So …" Said Larius. "You got a place to stay when we reach Midgar?"

"No … not likely, I'm counting on a friend of mine still living there."

"Well, you can always stay with us if you need somewhere to crash."

"Thanks."

"Hey, no prob."

"But, do me a favor Cloud. Tell me what you were doing out, ya know, back when I first picked you up."

Cloud sighed. "Long story."

"Long ride" Mocked Larius.

"Oh well, here goes. I'd awoken from a nightmare and went down stairs. After a while, the power to the house went out, I thought nothing of it. When finally went back up stairs, I saw four men trying to brake into my house, all armed of course. But the strange thing was, they all carried Shinra's logo. I managed to lose them in a nearby forest and... That's when you found me."

Larius looked grim. "I see." His expression seemed deep in thought or just not bothered.

Cloud turned his attention back to the window; rain smeared it making it hard to see anything, plus the dust, the black of night and fog weren't helping. After awhile, the gentle lullaby of the engine and the silent warm air sent Cloud into a slumber he didn't really want.

"_Hehe, he sleeps like a damn baby, musta been tired after all what's happened, can't say I blame him. I could sure use a nap or two right about now_. Wonder how far to Midgar now? Can't see a bloody thing I this weather. Ah well got nothing to do except enjoy the ride."

"_Oh I almost forgot, here Cloud have this."_

Larius put a black object into Cloud pocket.

Meanwhile, Reno and Rude were still in pursuit of Cloud. Reno couldn't keep still in vehicle, he always had to be messing with something, or fiddling around with some random object to satisfy his boredom. In this case it was the radio; he flicked from station to station, not being content with any. At last he made do with one, some modern rock band; He couldn't stand what he called "Rap crap"

"Yo Rude, you see anything?" Rude shook his head.

"Great, that's just great; we're never going to find him in this darkness."

In the distance, Reno could hear the sound the drumming of a helicopter, faint but he recognized it. Reno pressed the switch for the automatic windows. Rain lashed in wetting him further. He stuck his head out of the window, the wind ripped against his face like a hurricane taking his breath away. "Rude! Isn't that one of ours?"

Rude took his attention away for the road for a split second, and checked his rearview mirror. "Yeah, that's one of our choppers."

"The hell's it doing? Maybe it's spotted Cloud, Rude follow that chopper."

Rude span the vehicle round in a hundred and eighty degree motion, so the car was facing the opposite direction. They kept on its trail for quite sometime, until it just hovered over a large bus, following it but hovering. "You think he's on that bus?"

"I don't know." Rude replied.

"If he is … how would Shinra know?" Reno looked puzzled. "Rude, just keep your distance for now."

Rude acknowledged Reno's request and did so.

Just then, a black metallic cargo door slowly groaned open and came to a stop. The opening of the door was shortly followed by four tightly made brown ropes; they slide down like snakes and slapped the wet of the bus roof.

"The hell's going on?" Reno shouted.

Rude slowly shrugged his shoulders.

What looked like the same four men who attacked Cloud earlier, attached the ropes to their belts. They were covered from head to foot in black, just like the ones from the house, and they carried the same type of primary weapon which was slung across their backs. A crackling sound erupted from one of the headsets the men wore. "Alright move out."

After hearing their order, they slid down the ropes simultaneously and gracefully; their leather gloves emitted a tearing sound as they descended.

"Hey Rude, front row seats, got the popcorn?"

Rude shook his head, as per usual.

The men descended on the roof of the bus, and landed gracefully with a denting thud. The helicopter was far high in the sky, so to anyone inside the bus, it would of sounded miles off. The driver did notice the thud, but thought nothing of it. The leading solider leant over the side of the bus, while another grabbed his legs to secure him. Peering through the window he saw nothing. He signaled to his comrades that, one it was clear, and two, to pull him back. The leading soldier knelt on one knee, and with all his strength, punched right through the roof of the bus. With his fist now inside the bus, he used his other to tear a wide hole, just enough for them to squeeze into. The hole looked like a large mouth with awkward jagged teeth. The four men slipped into the hole one after another until they were all inside. Even after all this, the driver hadn't noticed a thing. The leader held his weapon and trained it forward, walking quietly to the stairs. The bus came to a sharp and unexpected jolt causing one of the men to drop his weapon. As it came crashing down the stairs, it triggered the bullets to spark out like flaming knives spraying everywhere, as it landed at with a clatter at the bottom. The quiet and peaceful atmosphere was now shattered into pieces, by the thunderous echoes of the ear shatteringly loud bullets, which had indented themselves into the sides and walls of the bus.

The unexpected event caused the bus driver to panic, and in doing so, he ripped the steering wheel a sharp left causing the bus to over turn. "Oh SHIT!" one of the men shouted. Those were Larius's thoughts exactly. The came to a loud crash, windows shattered like dropping a porcelain vase, the buses doors bent violently inward. Bodies flew around everywhere as if some unseen force was throwing them about. Unluckily for them, the sliding bus was gnawing and grating the rocky road towards a steep hill. Larius had grasped a metal pole, grabbing Clouds arm in the process, in an attempt to save them both from crashing about the place. The green soaked grass was being crushed and ripped as the bus tore down the hillside at a great speed. Trees that stood firm were being knocked asunder and ripped out of the ground. The fierce winds swept through, accompanied by the lashing rain. Branches snagged and grabbed hold of the rim of the windows like nimble hand with many spindly fingers. The mud splashed and danced around the bus painting half of it a muddy brown.

Suddenly, a large tree loomed into view, and the bus impacted with a resonating thud that echoed sharply around the neighboring forest. It came to a standstill, lifeless and empty.

Everyone on the bus was either dead, out cold or badly injured. A few hours had past since that crash and Larius's eyes were reluctantly and defiantly opening; it was like his eyes were glued shut. Larius was shaken and almost entranced in a dizzy state. He slowly reached for a metal bar and forced himself up; his legs felt like the weighed a ton. He was uneasy and wobbly on his legs. Having to guide himself along with anything he could hold onto, he made his way over to Cloud. He was laid flat with his body faced down. Larius rolled him over so that he faced Larius. His face had a thin cut that went diagonally down his right cheek. A large gash on his left thigh oozed out puddles of red blood every now and then. _"What a mess."_

Larius tore of a piece of cloth from his jacket and wrapped it around Clouds leg to prevent any further bleeding. Larius felt quickly other parts of Cloud to make sure there were no other injuries he missed. When he reached the stomach area he paused and felt nervous. On the side of his stomach it felt deep and wet. _"Shit, not good, if this keeps up he's not going to last more than an hour or so."_

His opened Clouds jacket to reveal a deep hole that spewed out a sickly black colored blood. Larius fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out a mystical glowing green orb; s radiance illuminating the insides of the bus, which cast shadows all around them. Even the rain seemed to turn green. He held the orb above Cloud on chanted in his mind. "_Oh ancients, oh ancients, lend me your power. Your magic is wisdom, your magic is power, please grant this man to live, o grant him one more hour."_

The orb began to glow vigorously; its green light blinded Larius. The orb made a strange sound as it was going to work, almost as if it was singing. Green light shot out as it twisted and curled along Clouds wound stopping it from oozing out anymore blood. The injury remained open, yet no blood came out; it was as though an invisible barrier prevented it from flowing out. _"This is all I can do, we'll have to fix you up properly back at the base."_

Larius tried to rouse Cloud, but to no avail; instead he wrapped Clouds arm around his shoulder and gently lifted him up. He then bent down to pick up Clouds sword … and with no difficultly lifted it with one hand. Larius's attention was quickly distracted by soldier on the floor. With his arm trembling, he reached for his automatic on the ground. Larius dropped the sword and reached into his inside pocket revealing a slick black pistol. Larius aimed the gun directly at the soldiers head and gently squeezed the trigger with no hesitation or remorse. He didn't bother to look at the soldiers remains he merely put his pistol back inside his jacket, then picked up the sword.

Reno and Rude had stopped awhile back, witnessing the whole event. "I have witnesses it wasn't me."With his hands up sarcastically,Reno blurted out trying to humor the whole situation. "And I'm not taking the rap for this one." Come on we better check it out, if he's dead we're screwed."

They both exited the vehicle and slammed the doors shut. "Hey aren't you locking the car Rude?"

"….With what? It's nicked."

Reno scratched his head. "Good point."

They both jogged for a couple of meters until they reached were the bus had veered off. Reno walked up to the edge of the hillside and peered over. "Can't see any movement, not a good sign."

"_If he is dead, we might as well consider our asses as good as fired." Rude thought._

"Hey Rude, maybe we should go down and take a lookski."

Rude nodded.

The Sky grumbled with erupting thunder and black ominous Clouds seemed to gather. Lightening soon followed, illuminating the sky with a white presence. The hillside was steep, and the wet grass and slippery mud were making it more difficult than it needed to be. There only source anything to hold on to, were trees that protruded out at different angles. Reno nearly slipped a couple of times on the way down, usually followed by cursing. Rude however, just tried hard not to show that even he found this task quite difficult.

After five minutes of sheer struggle, they reached the bottom. Apart from the wrecked remains of the bus, the area showed no signs of life, at least not from the outside. Reno searched the outside of the bus and the neighboring area, while Rude searched the inside.

"_Christ …"_

Rude began examining the bodies. _"Strange, this one's been shot …"_

He heard the sound of twigs snapping and crackling outside. _ "Yo, you find anything?"_

"Looks like he managed to get away."

"Well look on the bright side, at least we won't get fired."

Reno grabbed the sides of the bus and crouched his way under. "Shit what a mess."

"Are these our boys Rude?"

Rude indicated the logo of Shinra. Reno took out his silver phone from his jacket pocket and punched in a few numbers. He put it to his ear and let it ring for a few seconds.

"Sir, I'm afraid the squad you sent is eliminated. Yes, yes there heading towards Midgar? How do you know? … Ah I see clever sir. Shall we continue to pursue? Right. Reno out."

"What is his request?" Rude asked.

"Well first we get outta this jungle before we get attacked by local savage Amazon women, and then, we follow Cloud. Orders are we don't attack him until he's inside Midgar."

Meanwhile Larius was carrying Cloud over his shoulder with Clouds sword in the other hand. The forest got a lot clearer with less bushes, trees and braches to bar their path. Rain dripped of the tips from the slender green leaves, which hung high up in the trees. Birds sang to each other from one end of the forest to the next vibrating merrily. Rotten sticks of wood snapped beneath Larius's feet as he walked. Larius began working up a sweat; after all he was carrying a fully grown man, not to mention a large sword.

After about half a mile, they came upon a steep cliff leading upwards. The naked red rock should have glowed a fiery color, and should have been crispy and hot to touch. Yet today, the color was drowned out by the dismal weather. "Don't you worry Cloud, you're gonna make it."

Cloud made some muffled noises, but non that could be counted as vocabulary. Larius struggled as he went uphill, his legs having to work harder, but luckily, he used the sword for support. As Larius climbed higher, he could hear the sounds of people in the distance; cries, shouts, gun fire and rising black smoke devoid of direction. The rock became steeper and it became harder to walk. Sometimes he would often have to rest for a minute or two before carrying on. The water slid down the hill often carrying eroding mud along with it. Breathless and aching, Larius finally reached the top. The moons eerie gaze lit up the surface below to reveal a gigantic city. Its foundation was like a gigantic roundabout. There were eight enormous reactors embedded into the city, each one of them coughing out towering steams of green mist that polluted the air. Also encircled around the city, were eight steel gates all big in size; they were all numbered one to eight. Outside of these gates were large steel barriers painted black and yellow; most of them managed to keep firm, but others started to keel over. Several olive green army trucks were parked on odd angles to reinforce the barriers. Swarms of angry citizens were protesting, even in the miserable conditions. Groups of them all had separate motives; some wanted to demonstrate their objections through peaceful means, while others preferred a more violent take.

Fires were ablaze high; crowds of people were throwing custom made bombs, varying from petrol to explosives. Squads of soldiers stood grouped together with a specially made custom shields, advancing forward pushing back crowds of the dangerous ones. Rectangular lights repeatedly flashed a red light; they danced continually as if possessed. In the centre of the city an ominous building loomed over everything; the top of it being barely visible. Huge search lights, easily the size of normal cars, beamed extremely powerful rays of white light that battled with the settling green mist and prevailed, illuminating the sky above. The reason for the eight steel doors is because the city itself is divided into eight separate sectors, mostly consisting of slums. After the catastrophe that hit Midgar, Shinra felt no need to waste money on the poorer people of Midgar; instead, they concentrated on the wealthy. So in effect, the poorer people were literally left to rot. They had to make do with what they could get their hands on to build houses: Wood, scrap metal, sheets anything like that.

Larius pondered as he gazed thoughtfully into crowd of anger. "It's getting worse …. Rufus has gotta do something about this."

The shouts became louder and more frequent, as the sector six gates churned open, grating the dirt and scraping the sides; the rusty hinges craning to work harder from inside. The sound was quickly muffled by the stamping of what felt like an army of marching ants. Their feet perfectly in sync with each other, it was like a well orchestrated band. The men that appeared out from the gate wore protective white clothing, complete with the latest equipment, which included gas masks. Underneath there thin white overalls, body armor wrapped around their entire bodies, but allowing them to keep a well balance of durability and flexibility. As they marched out in a four by four order, they dispersed into a long line that spanned across the gate entrance. A voice appeared as if from nowhere and ordered the command "Fire!"

With their weapons raised and their fingers on the triggers they aimed there weapons high up. The chambers span and out of the barrels shot an endless number of cylindrical brass canisters. With the air soaring behind, they rotated as they flew sluggishly through the opposing wind. A few seconds went by and nothing happened. Just then, the canisters all began to emit sprays of gas, complete with what sounded like a thousands snakes violently hissing. Clouds of gas began to form, and in mere matter of minutes, spread around the area of sector seven, it was even half way to sector eight. People began to flee in all different directions, leaving behind any signs or bombs they were holding.

"_Now's our chance." Thought Larius._

He began jogging down the hill, and on several occasions losing his footing. The night was even worse than before; the black curtain of the night, the layers of intimidating fog and now tear gas. He got to the bottom of the hill and started moving away from the ensued panic and gas, not to mention the access way was near sector six. That's were they'd meet Kilo who'd guide them through the sewers. The gas acted as perfect cover for them; as long as they didn't walk directly into it they would be fine. Several panic induced people ran past frantically, but none showed any signs of hostility towards them. The perimeter of the City Midgar ran a total of twenty three miles. _"Better get you there quick, you won't last much longer."_

Among the gas and fog, Larius's eyes sharpened as the manhole cover came into view. _"Finally, we're nearly there."_

By this point Larius was just about to keel over, but his determination was telling him otherwise. He laid Cloud down next to the cover, and vigorously began pulling at it. After a couple of minutes of non stop pulling, he stopped and took a flick knife from his pocket; the handle was made of a finely polished oak, that felt smooth and slender in the sweaty palm of larius's hand. He slid it into the side and began edging it upwards; the weight that was being put on the blade was tremendous, it even began to bend. After the knife had done as much as it could, Larius took over and slid his fingers underneath lifting it up, and sliding it to one side. Larius took the sword and flung it into the hole causing a loud clattering noise at the bottom; obviously he couldn't do the same with Cloud. He put him on his shoulder and climbed down significantly slower, the reason being, he could only use one arm.

Down below, broken light bulbs flickered violently with swarms of moths dancing and flickering around them; it was like they were magically entranced. To the right of the concrete path, polluted moldy water swam in its one way direction, the green and yellow swirling together to make a murky brownish color. The smell was almost gut wrenching, as it aggressively invaded the senses. The walls were covered in layers of moss and damp. Of the ceiling cobwebs hung, that nestled hidden in the shadow. Rats marched forward following the current of the water; their skittering feet and squeaking noises echoed around the sewer system.

Larius picked up the sword and began wondering were Kilo was. As he headed down the echoing tunnel he noticed a silhouette in the shadows. The light bulb flickering revealing a man stood with his back to the wall and his arms crossed. Half his face remained obscured by his long wispy brown hair. The eye that could be seen shone a crystal blue; his mouth remained unmoving and calm. His left arm remained bare with three pouches strapped to it, usually to hold extra bullets, while the other arm was covered with a black sleeve; on the arm that was covered, his hand wore a black fingerless glove, with four steel stones embedded into were the knuckles sat. His short opened jacket blended in well with the darkness, with it being black. Underneath he wore special body armor, which he had carefully stolen from a Shinra compound a few weeks back. Kilo stepped out of the shadows and slowly approached them; as he walked, the heavy boots tapped on the floor.

"Your late … "Kilos voice was fairly deep and calm.

"Yeah, the traffic was terrible." Larius grinned.

Kilo looked in Clouds direction.

" … Who's the dead weight?"

"Long story, all I know he's got a severe wound that needs attending to, and if we don't … he'll probably die."

"How do you know he's not just another Shinra spy?"

"He's just not, now hurry up and get us out of here."

" …… Follow me."

Kilo un-strapped an automatic from his back, and began guiding them though the sewer system. They climbed through several rusty old pipes, waded through rotten sewage water and climbed up ladders for what seemed like forever. After ascending for quite a while, they began to take simple left and right turns. Often, streams of moonlight would glide down through grids up above lighting the path for just a while. Sometimes strange noises would make them slow down and proceed with caution, but it usually turned out to be nothing. The torch which Kilo had taped to the side of his gun, provided only minimum light, but light nonetheless. Eventually, they reached the ladders which would take them directly out of the sewers, opposite the church. Kilo switched off the torch and flung the automatic back over his shoulder. His arms reached for the rusty ladders, and step by step he climbed to the top. Instead of just rushing out he slowly lifted the cover, just enough to see out of. Checking the coast was clear; he slid the lid to the side and slowly climbed out, the sudden rush of fresh air and rain overcame him; he took a deep breath, being thankful that he was out of that shit hole. After a few seconds of inhaling fresh air, he gave his hand to Larius, helping him out with Cloud and the sword.

The area around them was indeed one of the poorer parts… the slums. Huge piles of scrap metal and rubble towered around them. The land was a strange toxic sandy yellow, and there wasn't any sign of vegetation in site. In the distance there were large pipes that led to different areas of the slums. Opposite the manhole cover, the decrepit old church sat buried into the mounds of rubble and scrap metal. The gaping hole in the roof was covered by a large plastic sheet that wavered in the wind. The wood showed signs of rotting in several places, and the doors were barely holding together, as big as they were.

Kilo, shortly followed by Larius, advanced towards the old church. Before they entered, Kilo made another quick check to see if any Shinra troops were in site. Having noticed the all clear he opened the doors and strode in. Larius lagged behind and wondered, _"I hope I've got him here in time … I guess I've done all I can do; now it's up to Samantha."_


End file.
